This invention is related to piston rings, and more particularly to a one-piece piston ring having one end slidably received between a pair of opposed walls in the other end to minimize the blow-by of fluids or gases.
Piston rings are employed in a variety of engines and machines, such as internal combustion engines, steam engines, compressors, pumps, and the like, usually where a piston is movable according to pressure variations at the head of the piston. A conventional piston ring comprises an elongated spring-like element having spaced ends. When the ring is mounted on the piston in a cylinder liner, the ends are moved toward one another to form a joint. One problem with a conventional piston ring is that as the ring and the piston are heated up, the joint ends tend to separate during a portion of the stroke thereby permitting blow-by of the gases or fluid. This pressure loss reduces the efficiency of the device in which the piston is mounted.
Another problem with conventional piston rings is that relative motion between piston ends, as the piston is being reciprocated, causes the cylinder walls to wear and thereby reduce the life of the cylinder liner.